Woven Silk Damask

Now in stock and available for immediate despatch!

A unique opportunity to purchase a fine silk damask, woven in pure white 100% Italian silk at a historic silk mill in East Anglia, England.

About the Silk

What is the design?

This beautiful silk damask is in a design, from the archives of a historic silk mill and will be woven exclusively for At Home with Mrs Hogarth. The design is typical of the late 17th century and the use of large figured designs such as these was popular throughout the 18th century.

What is the scale?

The silk is suitable for 1/12th scale – it is a large, grand design, for imposing rooms, with a "repeat" of approximately 70mm (width) by 90mm (height) - or 2 and 6/8th by 3 and 5/8ths of an inch. If you look at the design you will see that there are two types of motif repeating and so the measurement quoted allows for the width and height of both of these motifs as a single unit.

(For an explanation of the terminology "repeat" see the diagram 'Reading the Scale' at the foot of our wallpaper page).

What is the silk for? Is it lightweight?

The silk is intended to be either stuck to the walls of a miniature room, or else used in the sturdier types of drapings, i.e. curtains and bedclothes. It is not primarily intended for upholstering miniature furniture or for use in miniature costume – you may consider it too heavy for these uses.

As a fully woven design, the fabric has to support the silk threads that alternately form the motifs of the design, in addition to the structural weave itself - so it is effectively twice as thick as the plainer weave onto which we print other designs in our range. Of course, it is the weave that gives the silk its unique beauty, producing a visual effect that cannot be produced via any printing technique.

Is the silk white or green?

The silk will very definitely be pure white – not green as in the photos, which are purely illustrative to shown what a wonderful depth of colour can be achieved. The silk is being offered in white only so that purchasers are free to dye the silk in the exact colour that suits their own project.

How would I dye the silk?

We have used Procion MX dye, which is a cold water dye, easy to use and offered in CMYK enabling colour mixing to an exact shade. We would strongly recommend that you practice the dyeing process on a piece of scrap silk before progressing to the woven silk damask. A starter kit is available from George Weill, but there are other sources from which you can buy Procion MX dyes and you are of course welcome to make your own alternative arrangements for dyeing the silk.

Do I need to make allowances for shrinkage?

Yes, we recommend at least 10%, which was the shrinkage that we encountered, we also feel that the shrinkage occurred slightly more on the weft (side to side) than on the length. Since each dye process will be different we cannot give a precise figure or be responsible for the fabric once we have supplied it to you – we would recommend that you are generous when estimating to ensure that you have plenty of silk for your project.

How would I fix the silk to the wall of my miniature room?

We recommend a bookbinder’s-type starch paste – we use the paste from Shepherd's Bookbinders. We also suggest that the silk is affixed to a false wall (that will not warp when the paste is applied) so that false wall can then itself be slid into the room and fixed. It is hard to manipulate the fabric in a confined space and you will be much more comfortable doing so on a flat surface. Additionally, mouldings such as cornice, dado etc. are best applied after the silk has been affixed and is fully dry, and should be placed so that they overlap the edges slightly – this is in order to protect the edges to prevent fraying.

Once again, we recommend that you practice the pasting process using fabric scraps – in the worst-case scenarios the starch paste can be washed out, and the silk dried, ironed and then reapplied. We are happy to give additional advice on fixing the silk but cannot be responsible for how you use it after receipt.

Will there be postage costs? What about import duties, taxes etc?

There will be costs for the secure delivery of your order and once we know your preferred quantity we can estimate how much this will be, as this will be charged at the time of placing the order. All purchasers are responsible for the import duties, taxes etc that apply in the country in which they live and we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the charges that may be incurred, if outside of the UK.

The silk is offered in 'fat quarters' - 50 x 70 cm (19 x 27 inches) in pure white. If ordering more than one unit we will make minimal cuts to ensure the greatest flexibility of use.